One Love

"The air in Israel is more pure than any other. It will make you wise."

I went to a Kabbalah center in the old city of Safed and that is what the rabbi told me. I guess I'll see about that.

I also went to the city of Roshpina, where a woman who specializes in herbal medicines gave me a bit of a special root to ward off the evil eye. I have it in the back pocket of my jeans. How will I know if it's working? Will evil hit someone next to me instead? Will something really good happen instead? Guess I'll see about that too.

At the herbal medicine house in Roshpina, the woman told us that an herb called luisa has a very special property. If you inhale its fragrant scent at the same time as someone else, you will be friends with that person forever. One of the writers I've met here in Israel is Lauren. She and I decided to test out the luisa root. We both inhaled the plant at the same time. (It smelled like lemon.) Guess I'll see if me and Lauren really end up friends forever...

Today, I arrived in Jerusalem. It's nothing like the bright lights of Tel Aviv. Everything looks and feels ancient. It even smells old, if that makes any sense. Tiny, narrow, cobblestoned streets. And because the three major religions of the world all have holy sites here, it's like a UN convention up in here!

I followed the crowds to the Western Wall. Also known as the Wailing Wall. And people were doing just that, crying, contorting, shaking, writing messages and prayers and stuffing them into the wall at this holy site. And no one walks away with their back to the wall. They walk backwards away from the wall a few feet before turning around, (like the young female Israeli soldiers in this picture.)

I was up way late last night, finishing "Catch A Fire," Timothy White's biography of Bob Marley. That book is exhaustively researched and superbly written. I could not put it down. Timothy White, who passed away a few years ago, expanded the afterword to his book in 2001. He noted that Bob Marley had personally supported thousands of Jamaican citizens throughout his life. In recognition of that, Timothy White donated every dollar he earned writing about Bob Marley and Jamaican music to charities that Marley supported in Jamaica. I was moved when I read that. Timothy White contributed liner notes, produced box sets, wrote features and reviews for several publications on Bob Marley. And in respect to his subject, he donated the money he received.

I was thinking of Bob Marley and Timothy White when I got to the Wailing Wall. I didn't have a prayer to write. So I just wrote "one love" and put it inside the wall. And I backed away.

Guess I'll see about that.
-A

Comments

[Portia]

I've come to count on these commentarise everyday Li. All I know about Israel is what I see on The 6 O'Clock news and what I learned at Vacation Bible School back when I was 9. This is certainly a new and exciting perspective for me. Keep it coming!! Again, the writing style is just...wow...I want to share but I know you said not to. Till the next post...I wait with baited (bated?)breath.
-P

[Portia]

oops commentaries.

[Hanif Sowell]

This blog is what Juelz or Kanye would call "Crack" I can't get the time zone thing down so I'm checking every time I log on for your next post. You wrote your way to the place where "Jesus Walks." And Be careful about what you go around smelling, cause some roots I know about if you smell them they'd make you feel friendly too.

[me]

Thanks. I'm really learning something about Israel in a way that I couldn't learn from a text book. I never would have understood how the folks walked away from the wall. But because of that one little detail, I'll always feel like I know something about the Wailing Wall.

But that whole thing also raises more questions. Like, do they give you a paper and a pen while you wait in some line? I mean, just in case you didn't have your own. Or do you just know that you better have your note written before you go? And what happens to the notes? Do they clean them out like they do coins in a wish fountain? Seems like after a while there would be no space (unless you're willing to scale the wall for better positioning). Also, seems like the little bits of paper would be blown away and cause a maintainance problem. Plus, I can imagine some of those notes are pretty personal. I don't even want people to read my ATM reciept for fear that they will get some secret information (like my negative balance).

Again, thanks for the random notes. I feel like I'm experiencing Israel as a traveler. Maybe this BLOG is your assignment! Hey, a blog is as good as anything other media when it comes to spreading a message.

[me]

Can you write a blog entry that may adress some of these questions and others that people had. Maybe that could be your last one when you get all the answers:-)

Again, thanks for letting us in on your experiences.